


Blessed

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Original Character - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-16
Updated: 2000-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:59:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time





	1. Blessed

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the West Wing or related characters/stuff. I own KD  
Brody and David Beckwith, but seeing as how I'm not paid, I like to let them  
run free. The title comes from Elton John's lovable song "Blessed" and does  
not belong to me.  
NOTES: This takes place about a week after "Aftermath" left off. I know you  
all know where that was. Sorry to have kept you waiting so long.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ denotes flashbacks or memories, same thing  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"David, I've got a doctor's appointment at two o'clock. It should be  
about an hour and a half." KD exclaimed as she walked up to her assistant's  
desk. David looked at her and nodded.  
"Welcome back. Is everything okay?" He asked in concern. KD nodded and  
took another bite of the tomato in her hand.  
"Yeah, everything's fine." She assured him with a smile and patted him on  
the shoulder. "Just clear my schedule from one thirty to four." She added as  
she moved into her office.  
"You're eating a tomato." He called.  
"I noticed." She retorted as she walked back out with her agenda.  
"You hate tomatoes." David explained. She paused.  
"Very good point. I'm going to talk to Leo." She exclaimed as she threw  
the remainder of the tomato into the trash and moved on. "Make the changes!"  
She called. David nodded and watched her go, then looked at his desk.  
"Hope you had a nice honeymoon. Me, oh, I'm fine. Yeah, great. And you?  
Wonderful. Let me get on that for you." He muttered to himself as he sorted  
through the papers on his desk and grabbed the phone to call a senator and  
reschedule KD's appointments.  
Down the hall, KD smiled and talked to the few people she had time to  
chat with, but her mind was elsewhere. She didn't know what she was going to  
say to Leo; she didn't know what she was going to say to the others; she  
didn't even know what to say to herself. The news was startling to Toby and  
it was startling to her, but she was showing quite a few of the signs; the  
same signs she had... last time. Still, she couldn't get Toby's reaction  
out of her head. It was both funny and scary at the same time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Toby, I think I'm pregnant." KD whispered to him, staring into his eyes.  
Toby stared back, his eyebrows slowly rising. He opened his mouth to say  
something and then paused.  
"How?" He asked. KD stared at him blankly.  
"Toby, you're a very intelligent soul. I don't think I need to explain to  
you the dynamics of where children come from, Mr.  
Seven-Is-My-New-Lucky-Number." She retorted playfully. "You know how."  
"Yes, I know how. I know... how." He said slowly. "Wow. This is...  
an amazing wedding present, I tell you." He said with a smirk. KD laughed and  
nodded.  
"Does that mean you're okay with the idea? I mean we never really talked  
about it." She said softly. He smiled and kissed her gently.  
"I'm more than okay with it." He assured her.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, Margaret." KD exclaimed with a smile. Margaret smiled back. "Is he  
in? In and free?" She added. Margaret nodded.  
"Go on in, after you tell me about your trip." The secretary said with a  
grin. KD laughed and wagged her finger.  
"Nothing for the gossip group today, I'm afraid. I'll tell you later."  
She added with a smile as she went into Leo's office. "Hey, daddy-o." She  
said as she closed the door and plopped down in a chair.  
"Hey, kid. Welcome back to the land of the living. Did you have a good  
time?" Leo asked.  
"First few days were kind of weird because Toby was being ultra cautious  
about everything, but then I finally managed to get him to relax and then we  
had a jolly good time." KD said with a grin.  
"Why was he cautious? Was he afraid that the boat was going to sink?" Leo  
asked playfully. KD laughed and shook her head.  
"No, but there was one channel on the ship's TV system that just showed  
the movie *Titanic* over and over and over again. I thought that was pretty  
interesting." She said with a grin. Leo laughed and shook his head.  
"That is just frightening, is what it is." He retorted. "So, after all  
that relaxing and doing things with Toby that I don't want to know about, you  
think you're ready to come back to work?" He teased.  
"Oh, I think I'll manage." KD retorted playfully as she realized she was  
going to chicken out. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't tell anyone until  
she was sure. She wouldn't.  
"And Toby? Did you leave him basically intact or is he no good to us  
anymore?" Leo asked.  
"Oh, he's mine anyway. I'll tell you what you can and can't use him for."  
She retorted as she got to her feet. "Listen, when's staff today?" She asked.  
Leo checked his papers.  
"Four." He exclaimed.  
"Um, Toby and I might be a little late." She said.  
"Why?" Leo asked in concern.  
"Doctor's appointment." She replied. "Don't worry. No biggie." She  
assured him and smiled weakly. "We'll try to get back on time." She added  
before moving out of the room. Leo watched her leave with a frown and then  
looked around his office with a sigh.  
"Well, she's back."

TBC... .

  

  


	2. Blessed 2

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1, also in this part, there is mention of events taking place  
in the KD story "Drowning", if you have not read this, email me or check out  
one of the two wonderful archives of our list.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ denotes flashbacks or memories, same thing  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Toby." KD exclaimed as she leaned into the door. Toby looked up and  
smiled before beckoning her in. She smiled back and moved into the office,  
closing the door behind her.  
"Hey beautiful. How'd it go?" He asked as he got to his feet. She smiled  
hesitantly and he groaned.  
"I'm sorry!" She whimpered and walked over to him. "I chickened out. I  
was talking about you and how wonderful you were and I realized that I don't  
know if I can do this." She admitted finally. Toby sighed and slipped his  
arms around her waist. She smiled weakly and leaned her head against his  
shoulder.  
"Does that mean that you don't want to?" He asked softly. KD shook her  
head and inhaled slowly.  
"It's just so complicated. I mean, we're going into an election year and  
I don't know what it'll do to the administration if we have a kid. Our  
workload will have to diminish and-" She started.  
"Are you really worried about the work or is it about what happened to  
you ten years ago?" Toby interrupted softly. KD hesitated and then moved away  
from him to sit on his couch.  
"It's about both." She said softly. "I mean, we're both career people,  
Toby. We've been working our entire lives, and we've never even talked about  
a baby." She whispered as she looked down at her tummy. Toby sighed and moved  
to sit next to her.  
"Let's talk about it now." He said softly. "Do you not want this to be  
true?" He asked in a quiet whisper. She leaned against him but didn't look  
him in the eye. Instead she just continued to watch her stomach.  
"I don't know. Ten years ago, I was just graduating medical school, but I  
didn't have a job; I didn't have a life that would get over-complicated. When  
that ended so badly, I never really thought that I'd have another chance to  
be a mommy." She murmured. "And now, I like working at the White House with  
Dad and Joss and you and the others. If I am... If it is true, it'll mean  
at least six months off of work, and even then the kid will need a lot of  
attention and going into an election year, like I said... It could be  
really bad timing." She said softly. Toby listened and noticed how she  
couldn't say the word 'pregnant' out loud. Was she afraid of this?  
"I know of the circumstances, Katy, but I'm asking what you want. Forget  
about everything else for a minute. Just thinking about you and me and this  
possibility right now. You and me, husband and wife... Do you see us as  
parents any time soon, or ever?" He asked softly. KD snuggled her face into  
his chest and exhaled slowly.  
"Yes." She said softly. He kissed her head.  
"Do you want this to happen? I mean we still don't even know? It's too  
early to tell and the doctor's the one who's going to have final say." Toby  
whispered.  
"What about you? You've just been asking questions. What do you want?" KD  
asked as she looked up at him. "I've never heard you vocalize desires to be a  
daddy." She said with a smile. He looked back down at her and smiled before  
hugging her closer.  
"I would be honored if you had my child, Kathryn Dylan Ziegler." He  
whispered. "And if it's okay with you, I don't mind in the least bit thinking  
of us as a family." He added. KD smiled at him and nodded.  
"I'm just worried. I mean I never really had a mother, so how do I do it?  
How can I be a good mom?" She asked weakly.  
"Because you're a wonderful, kind, intelligent, witty person, and you've  
seen Abbey Bartlet with her daughters and you've watched families all over  
the world. You can do it, because you're warm and gentle. If we are going to  
become a family, be parents, I know we'll be good ones." Toby assured her  
before kissing her lips tenderly.  
"Thank you, Toby. I know you're going to be a wonderful father, whether  
it's sooner or later." She murmured before kissing him back. He held her  
close and smiled.  
"Then we can do this. We can, Katy." He whispered.  
"You bet your butt we can do this." She said weakly. He could still sense  
some hesitance in her voice.  
"We can." He said again. She smiled and nodded.  
"I know." She replied a little stronger. She knew they could do it, and  
most of her wanted to do it, but she was still unsure. She knew that was the  
real reason why she couldn't tell Leo what was up. He knew what had happened  
so many years ago. The only people who knew were Leo, Joss, Abbey, Toby and .  
. . Danny. Danny. What would she say to Danny?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
KD stepped into her office and stopped short when she saw Danny on her  
couch. She closed the door and sat next to him.  
"Hi there." She whispered.  
"Hi." He replied. They looked at each other, silently communicating with  
their eyes. Suddenly, he pulled out a small white rose and handed it to her.  
"Memoriam." He explained. She sniffled and hugged him.  
"I know." She replied softly.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

TBC...

  


	3. Blessed 3

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Leo?"  
"What, Sam?" Leo asked gruffly.  
"We need to talk. You got a minute?" Sam asked as he stepped into his  
boss's office.  
"No." Leo replied.  
"Funny cause Margaret says you do."  
"Damn it. Come on in." Leo muttered. Sam smiled and came in all the way.  
"What do you need, Sam?"  
"I need to talk to you about Mallory." Sam started slowly.  
"What about her? Is she okay?" Leo asked in concern.  
"I'm not sure, actually. I've been talking to her and the thing is that I  
think she's having a harder time than she's letting on." Sam admitted. "She  
told me a lot of things, Leo, and I think that you really need to talk to  
her."  
"What did she say, Sam?" Leo asked softly.  
"I don't know if it's my place to tell you, Leo. She tells me these  
things and she might not want me running to you. Of course, it's because I  
care-" Sam started to ramble.  
"Sam, are you going to tell me what she said or not? Cause if you're not,  
you can leave now." Leo interrupted. Sam paused.  
"She said that she feels caught up in what's happening between you and  
Jenny and then what's going on with you and that... um, what's her name?"  
Sam drew a blank.  
"Jeri?" Leo asked, slightly confused. He'd never stopped to talk to  
Mallory about the whole situation, but she was a grown adult. She understood  
that things got complicated. Hell, she counseled him all the time on what he  
should do with his life. She's the one who once told him to get over her  
mother and realize that things couldn't go back.  
"Yeah, Jeri. She said stuff about wondering if you loved KD more than  
her, if you didn't love her anymore because she reminded you of her mother,  
stuff like that. Leo, all I'm saying is that your life is changing for the  
better, but you can't leave Mal behind." Sam said softly. Leo nodded.  
"You're right. I've been stupid. I'll talk to her." Leo said softly.  
"Okay, good. And, um, I'm meeting with the EPA today. You want to tell me  
what reason I'm giving them this time that we're saying no to their wildlife  
protection stuff?"  
"It's too costly." Leo murmured. "Get out of my office." Sam smiled and  
nodded, moving out into the hallway and walking for the communications  
bullpen. He stopped by Josh's office.  
"Hey, I'm meeting with the EPA today." He said.  
"Did you talk to Leo?" Josh asked.  
"Too costly." Sam exclaimed.  
"No, Leo doesn't charge." Josh teased.  
"I mean he said-" Sam started.  
"Sam, get the joke and laugh." Josh pleaded. Sam grinned.  
"But of course." The younger man said. "Tomorrow, you wanna join in on  
Don't Ask Don't Tell? I'm telling them that the President's taking it to the  
mattresses." Sam said with a grin.  
"Uh, I don't know if I'll make it. I got the language people. Man, I got  
to talk to Joey about that." He muttered.  
"Have fun." Sam teased and disappeared down the hallway. Josh sneered and  
then moved towards Joey's office. As he stepped in, he found Joey signing  
madly with another woman who was about fifteen years older. He knew he'd seen  
the woman before but he wasn't sure when. She had brown hair like Joey, but  
hers was much shorter with streaks of gray that were almost elegant. She was  
signing back to Joey rather quickly and then she started laughing. Joey  
grinned and then looked at Josh before her grin grew even bigger.  
"Oh, God. She's laughing at me, isn't she?" Josh whined. Joey nodded  
happily and looked back at the woman who had looked on Josh.  
"Hey, Josh. Good to see you again." She said.  
"Yeah, it's great... to see you too." He said with a sheepish grin.  
"Jeri Logan." She reminded him. He nodded and snapped.  
"Leo's date." He remembered. Joey signed to Jeri. "What'd she say? Kenny,  
help me out here."  
"You've met him?" Kenny translated. Jeri signed back.  
"Yes, at the wedding a couple of weeks ago. Ten days, I think." Kenny  
translated again.  
"Wait. How do you two know each other?" Josh asked. Kenny signed. Joey  
grinned and signed. Kenny snickered and then got a dark but pleading look  
from Josh.  
"Should we tell him or not?" Came the translation. Jeri chuckled and  
looked at Josh.  
"Maybe we should let him guess." She said while signing.  
"Okay, tell me you're not related." Josh pleaded. Jeri laughed.  
"No can do, Josh." She replied. "Now what's this I hear about you yelling  
at my little sister?" She asked in a mock stern voice. Josh groaned and  
thudded his head against the doorframe. Jeri, Joey and Kenny laughed and  
signed to each other. Josh shook his head.  
"I'm gonna kill Leo."  
"Oh, he doesn't know. A woman has to keep an element of mystery these  
days. I'll tell him later." She added.  
"Tell him now because then he'll understand my suicide note after I hang  
myself." Josh muttered.  
"Oh, don't be so drastic. Here, I'll let you get back to work and be on  
my way. Joey, don't let him kill himself. He's too entertaining for that."  
Jeri said while she signed. Joey nodded and looked at Josh with a smirk. Jeri  
patted him on the back as she left the room and headed down the hallway for  
Leo's office. Josh looked at Joey.  
"You have a sister?" He exclaimed. She signed something.  
"Good, Josh." Kenny translated. Josh rolled his eyes and moved into the  
room so that they could get to work.

TBC...

  


	4. Blessed 4

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Ginger, I'm leaving." Toby announced as he slid his jacket on.  
"I know you are, Toby." She replied. Toby smirked and walked past her.  
"Good for you, Ginger." He called behind him and headed for KD's office.  
Ginger shook her head and then grabbed the phone. She dialed quickly and  
waited for the line to pick up.  
"KD Ziegler's office." David answered.  
"David, he's on his way. Do you know what doctor they're going to?" She  
asked softly.  
"No, I haven't been able to get it out of her." David admitted.  
"I bet I know." Ginger said happily and then felt a tap on her shoulder.  
She looked up into Toby's grumpy face. "I'll call you back, David." She said  
weakly and hung up. "Toby, you left."  
"And you gossiped. No gossiping!" Toby snapped as he moved into his  
office to grab a book he left behind. He used the book for emphasis, pointing  
it at her as he walked past. "No gossiping."  
"No, sir." She promised.  
"Or you're fired." He called.  
"I know!" She called back as he disappeared again. Toby strolled down the  
hall and then walked up to David's desk.  
"You don't get to gossip either. You're supposed to stand up for the  
man's right to boycott gossiping." Toby exclaimed as he moved for KD's  
office. David just put on his best innocent look and shrugged. Toby smiled at  
his wife as she stood against her desk, talking on the phone and looking  
considerably annoyed. He smiled as she rolled her eyes and made a 'yak, yak,  
yak' motion with her free hand.  
"Norris, stop talking for a second." She said suddenly. "Now, listen  
carefully. I know about your concerns. We are taking them into consideration  
despite your insistence that we're not. I assure you that we're doing  
everything we can to make sure that this bill benefits everyone. Yes. Yes,  
sir." She said before pausing and looking confused. "Congratulations for  
what, sir?" She asked nervously. "Oh, right. The medical research. Yes, sir.  
I'll tell him you said so, sir. He's standing here. Yes. Goodbye." She said  
before hanging up. "I hate that man so much. And he says congratulations on  
your marriage, Mr. Ziegler." She added with a weak grin. He grinned and moved  
to take her into his arms. She smiled at him as he held her closer and drew  
her lips to his. He held her close, his hands pressing against her body as he  
kissed her deeply. He pulled away only to begin kissing her neck. "Okay.  
Not that I'm complaining." KD started weakly as she closed her eyes. "But  
where did this come from?"  
"It's been bottled up." Toby murmured before kissing her again. "But we  
got to go, so I'll release it later in full blast." He teased before pulling  
her for the door. KD laughed and went with him.  
"Sometimes it's like you're seventeen years old." She teased as they  
walked towards the elevators, arm in arm. He grinned at her and nodded as he  
pressed the elevator key.  
"You know it." He said softly before kissing her again.  
"Appointment." She reminded him and pulled him into the elevator. He  
murmured and followed.

"Dad?" Mallory's voice exclaimed as she leaned in the door. Leo looked up  
and waved her in.  
"Come on in." He called. "Close the door."  
"You called me?" She asked as she came in and shut the door. He nodded  
and got up to hug her. She hugged back and smiled at him. "Here I am. What  
can I do for you?"  
"I wanted to talk to you about Jeri. And I wanted to talk to you about  
you." He said softly as he sat with her on the couch. "I was hoping you could  
have dinner with me. And we could talk about these things."  
"Sam said something to you, didn't he?" Mallory said weakly.  
"As much as it pains me, I will protect Sam's honor and say no." Leo  
replied with a smile. "Mallory, I don't want you to think that I don't love  
you or that I'll ever stop. I'm proud of you. You're my daughter and I'll  
always love you no matter what happens." He said softly as he cupped her face  
in his hand. She smiled at him and nodded.  
"I know, dad." She assured him softly.  
"Do you? Are you sure?" He asked. She smiled, her eyes slightly wetter  
than before she came in, and nodded. "I want you to be happy, Mal, no matter  
what. And I want to be able to know that you aren't sure of my feelings for  
you." He said softly.  
"Dad, I'm so glad that you've found happiness. Yes, I did feel like I was  
getting left behind but now I realize that I've grown up." She said softly.  
"A lot of things are different now and I don't have to be Daddy's little  
girl." She said with a smile. Leo frowned.  
"Just because you've gotten older-" He started.  
"No, dad, really." She interrupted. "I'm proud of you. I'm happy you're  
happy and I'm happy that mom's happy too. You both have moved on and now I  
have to." She said quickly.  
"What do you want me to do?" Leo asked softly. He was confused by this  
reaction. Sam had told him one thing and now Mallory was telling him another.  
He wanted to make sure that she was happy but now he wasn't sure if she was  
going let him do that.  
"I want you to give me some space so I can figure out where I'm going to  
go with this." Mallory said softly.  
"Okay." Leo said hesitantly. "If that's what you want, Mal."  
"It is, dad." She replied softly. He nodded and then watched as she got  
up quickly and left the office. Then he leaned back into the couch and  
sighed. What was happening to his girls?

"Toby." KD murmured.  
"Yes?" Toby asked.  
"You're incorrigible." She said softly as he kissed her neck, his hands  
moving across her hips. "The doctor's going to walk back in here any minute."  
She added.  
"He promised to knock first." Toby murmured before kissing down her neck.  
"You've been awfully frisky lately." KD exclaimed.  
"Any complaints?" Toby asked as he reached along the open seam of the  
gown KD was wearing. Before KD could answer there was a knock at the door.  
Toby stepped back as KD tried to regain her breath.  
"Uh, come in." She said as the redness drained from her face. The doctor  
came in and looked from the smirking Toby to the flushing KD and couldn't  
resist the urge to grin.  
"Sorry to keep you waiting." He exclaimed, still grinning.  
"No problem at all." Toby said softly as he stood next to his wife and  
held her close by the waist.  
"So..." KD said eagerly. "Did you get any results?" She asked softly.  
The doctor nodded.  
"Yes, the test came back positive." He announced.

TBC...


	5. Blessed 5

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1, once again "Blessed" is the property of Elton John  
and Bernie Taupin. It is not mine.  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

Toby felt his knees start to shake. KD took a hold of his hand and he  
felt his strength return to him. He slipped his arms around her waist and  
kissed her head. The doctor smiled. "I can see this is good news." He added  
softly."  
"Very good news." Toby whispered. KD smiled and leaned against him.  
"In that case, I'd like to schedule your first ultrasound. We want to  
look in there and see that everything's okay, find out how old the baby is  
and maybe extrapolate a due date." The doctor exclaimed. KD and Toby nodded  
their understanding. "Okay, why don't you change back, Mrs. Ziegler and then  
when you're ready, we'll go ahead and schedule that." The doctor exclaimed.  
They nodded again and he left. KD smiled and looked at Toby. Their eyes met  
and Toby smiled back.  
"Wow." She whispered.  
"I know." He replied softly. "I'm a daddy."  
"Yes, you are." She replied and kissed him gently. He kissed her back,  
his arms holding her close.  
"And you're a mommy." He said as he stared into her eyes. He could see  
her nervousness, her fear. She could do it though. He knew she could and he  
had to make her see that she could. "You're going to be the best mommy there  
is." He assured her. "You can and you will." She smiled and hugged him close,  
resting her chin on his shoulder. He hugged her back and moved to stroke her  
tummy gently with his fingers.

Hey you, you're a child in my head  
You haven't walked yet  
Your first words have yet to be said  
But I swear you'll be blessed  


In the car ride back to the office, KD watched her husband with smiling  
eyes and listened to Elton John sing the heartfelt song on the radio. What a  
brilliant man he was, so tender and charming. What would their child be?  
Would it be a boy or a girl? Who would the child look like more? Who would he  
or she take after? She secretly hoped that the child would be like his or her  
father. KD looked inside herself and found that she was so full of  
insecurities. She didn't want her child to go through that. She wanted her  
child to be warm, tender, caring, sure of the world and of the fate that he  
or she was handed. She wanted to have more of the joy Toby brought her.

I know you're still just a dream  
Your eyes might be green  
Or the bluest that I've ever seen  
Anyway you'll be blessed  


Toby muttered something about the traffic and then pulled into another  
lane. KD laughed lightly, drawing his gaze over to her. He smiled and brushed  
his hand against her face. She smiled back and leaned into his touch, kissing  
his palm gently. She was carrying his child. It was an amazing feeling. He  
wanted to jump up on the roof of the White House and shout it out to the  
world. Still, he knew she was scared. It was so hard for her ten years ago.  
He knew that, even though he wasn't there. She'd spent five months of her  
life carrying around a little girl that would never see the world. She spent  
ten years carrying around the guilt of letting that child die, even though  
there was nothing she could have done. It was not her fault, but he wasn't  
sure if she knew it, even now. All he could hope for was that she be happy  
with this news. He hoped she was happy with the news. He hoped she wanted  
this as much as he did. He was never a real touchy-feely person, never that  
warm or tender, but he did know that he was happy to be a father. He did know  
that he was happy with the news. He would be warm and tender with his child.  
This he knew.

And you, you'll be blessed  
You'll have the best  
I promise you that  
I'll pick a star from the sky  
Pull your name from a hat  
I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that  
You'll be blessed  


KD laughed again as Toby muttered a dry curse to the car in front of  
them. What kind of father would he be, she wondered again. She knew he wasn't  
the world's most endearing mind in the world, but she could see him being a  
wonderful father, loving and attentive. When he found things that he cared  
about, he was that way. He was that way with her. She smiled as she thought  
about how 'attentive' he'd been lately and wondered how he react when he  
realized that soon enough, that kind of attention wouldn't be possible. It  
was hard for that kind of attention when your wife is so large she can't see  
her feet, and even after the birth, she knew that people got so tired just  
from the late night feedings and worrying so much. She'd seen that when Abbey  
had had a little girl named Zoey. She'd seen the exhaustion in the Bartlet's  
eyes. Of course, Jed, being the animal that he was, probably didn't let  
exhaustion stop him, now that KD thought about it. Was Toby like that?

I need you before I'm too old  
To have and to hold  
To walk with you and watch you grow  
And know that you're blessed

Toby suddenly began to wonder what would happen when they got back to the  
office. Would KD chicken out again or would she be willing to tell the truth?  
Would she be able to tell Leo? What would she ask him to do? Could he keep  
that secret for her? Would she ask him to? What would they say when the two  
of them walked into the staff meeting today and every one of them knew that  
they'd gone to a doctor's appointment. But then Toby's mind switch gears  
again. He thought of families and of children. He thought of watching his  
child grow up and he wondered what the kid would be. A doctor, a writer,  
maybe President one day. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to hold his  
child in his arms and then watch that child grow into a beautiful person. He  
knew it was possible. He knew it. He wanted that. He'd never thought about  
children before. He'd always been too busy to think about it. But now...  
Now he wanted children. He wanted to be a father and have that feeling. Now  
he was a father. He would have that feeling.

And you, you'll be blessed  
You'll have the best  
I promise you that  
I'll pick a star from the sky  
Pull your name from a hat  
I promise you that, promise you that, promise you that  
You'll be blessed

As Toby parked the car in his spot, he glanced at his watch. It was five  
minutes to four. That meant that he had five minutes with KD before they had  
to walk into the Oval office and either lie about the news they had or they  
were going to tell the truth and get ready for the reactions. It was time for  
Toby to find out which of these was going to happen.  
"So what are we going to say?" He asked softly as they sat in the car for  
another moment. "You ready to tell them?" KD paused and then looked at him, a  
little more fear in her eyes than the last time he gazed into them.  
"Yes. But there's someone else I have to talk to first." She said softly.  
"And I don't know how to do it." Toby paused and then realized who she was  
talking about. He nodded slowly.  
"He'll understand, Katy." He said softly. "But if you want to talk to him  
first, I'm sure we can arrange it. We might be a little late for staff, but  
Leo's expecting that anyway." He said with a smile. KD smiled and ran her  
hand over Toby's face, caressing him gently.  
"I love you so much." She whispered. "You're so good to me."  
"It's what you deserve." He replied and got out of the car. He walked  
around and watched as she climbed out of the car. He walked forward and  
slipped his arms around her. "And you're gonna have to get used to me taking  
care of you. You're not going to overdo it, Katy." He whispered before  
kissing her gently. She smiled and nodded.  
"I want to take care of this baby as much as you do, Toby." She  
whispered. He smiled and nodded, knowing what she meant.  
"And we will. This is going to be the most beautiful thing, Katy." He  
whispered to her before kissing her passionately. She kissed him back and  
then hugged him tightly. Then he smiled and took her by the hand, moving  
towards the elevators and pulling her with him. She laughed as he pressed her  
against the wall of the elevator and kissed her gently. When the doors opened  
again, they walked out into the hallway and headed for their bullpens.  
"I'll see you in a few minutes." She said before pushing him off down the  
hallway. He nodded and moved back for his office. KD took a deep breath and  
headed for the pressroom.

TBC... .

  


	6. Blessed 6

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"CJ?"  
"Yes, Danny?"  
"Do you prefer red or white?"  
"Depends on what you're referring to."  
"Roses."  
"Danny."  
"Yes?"  
"We're waiting a few months before dealing with those choices."  
"Why?"  
"Because I can't do this right now. As soon as the Forbes Summit is over,  
then we will sit on my couch, snuggle by some candles, and we will talk over  
all of these things."  
"Hey, now that sounds good to me."  
"Good, now beat it."  
"Okay." Danny replied with a grin and turned out of CJ's office, closing  
the door behind him. He moved for the pressroom and then saw KD sitting at  
his desk reading the latest draft of his most recent article. "You're not  
supposed to be reading that." He teased. "You little spy." He added as she  
got to her feet with a smile and a shrug.  
"Well, I need to talk to you and since you weren't here, I figured why  
not occupy myself?" She retorted with a sweet smile.  
"Okay, fair enough. What do you need to talk to me about?" Danny asked.  
"Come on, stray dog. In my office." She retorted and started to lead the  
way. Danny raised an eyebrow and then followed. He smiled to a few people  
that recognized him and then finally, they arrived in KD's bullpen.  
"Katy, you got staff righ-" David started.  
"I know. I just got to talk to the stray dog first." She replied before  
leaning into her office and waiting for Danny. The redheaded reporter moved  
into the office and then watched as KD closed the door. "Come on, sit down."  
She said softly. He paused and then sat on the couch.  
"What's going on?" He said softly. She sighed and turned a chair to face  
him before sitting in it.  
"I'm just nervous." She said softly. "I need to tell you something, off  
the record for now, though it'll probably come out as news later or  
whenever-" She started hesitantly.  
"Katy, breathe." Danny encouraged. She smiled weakly. "Now, what is it?"  
"Toby and I just went to the doctor." She replied quietly.  
"Are you okay? Is there anything wrong?" Danny asked quickly but stopped  
when she shook her head and looked at him with eyes that were mixed with fear  
and apprehension.  
"Danny, I'm pregnant." She said softly, biting the bullet. "And while I'm  
happy, I'm also scared as hell." She murmured. "And I wanted to be the one to  
tell you before CJ walked up to the podium." Danny sat in silence, trying to  
sort through the many things that were flying through his head at a million  
miles per second. Was he happy, sad, somber, joyous? What the hell was he  
supposed to say? He knew this would happen eventually and the fact that it  
was happening now was a bit scary.  
"Wow." He whispered. "I always knew this would happen, but wow." He  
repeated. She smiled weakly and looked at her hands. "Hey, congratulations.  
You and I both knew that this would happen and the fact is that it has. I'm  
happy for you and for the grouch." He said with a smile. "You don't have to  
feel bad and you definitely don't have to be scared."  
"But what if-" KD started.  
"Hey, no." He interrupted and moved over to her, kneeling in front of her  
chair. "No what ifs. That was the past and this," He said softly as he  
placed his hands on her stomach. "This is the future. Look to it." He  
whispered. KD smiled and then hugged him tightly, trying not to cry.  
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm sorry about the past."  
"It's behind us." He whispered back.  
"Tell me it's okay?" She pleaded. He hugged her tighter.  
"It's okay." He assured her.  
"Okay." She said softly as she leaned back. He smiled.  
"So who else knows?" He asked playfully.  
"Toby and the doctor." KD said with a smile.  
"Ooh, you told me before Leo? I'm honored." He retorted. She laughed and  
nodded.  
"It was something I needed to do." She replied softly. He paused.  
"Get out of here." He said finally. "You have a staff meeting." She  
nodded and got to her feet, helping him to do so.  
"Yes, I do." She murmured and smiled. He grinned and walked out of her  
office. She took a deep breath and then the same, walking out into the  
hallway, stopping only to pat David on the shoulder, and then heading for the  
Oval office. She moved in and saw Toby waiting for her on the couch. She  
smiled and sat next to him. He glanced at her anxiously and she nodded simply  
before kissing him tenderly on the lips.  
"Hello, everyone. Running a bit late today?" Jed exclaimed as he moved  
into the room. "My apologies. I think a senator was ranting. Either that an  
EPA lobbyist." He muttered as he stopped by his desk. "So what have we got  
going for us today?"  
"Gossip, sir." Sam spoke up.  
"What?" Jed asked.  
"We're talking about CJ's ring, Donna's wedding mania, Danny's goofiness,  
Toby's nervousness, KD's lateness and Leo's love life, sir." Josh reported  
efficiently.  
"Oh, well. Naturally." Jed murmured. "Where is Leo, anyway?"  
"Talking to Jeri, sir." Sam said.  
"The girlfriend?"  
"Yes, sir." Josh exclaimed. "Who happens to be Joey Lucas's older sister,  
sir." He added.  
"Really?"  
"Yes, sir." Sam added.  
"Logan?"  
"Her late husband, Bant Logan died seven years ago, sir." Josh informed  
him.  
"And this is why Leo's love life is the subject of your gossip?"  
"Yes, sir." CJ exclaimed.  
"And what's your ring discussion? Did Danny ask you the big question?"  
"Yes, sir." CJ replied with a smile. KD looked up, a little surprised.  
Danny had not mentioned it. Toby felt her tense up and pulled her closer in  
an almost jealous motion.  
"Congratulations, CJ." Jed said with a smile.  
"Indeed. Congrats." KD chorused with a weak grin. CJ smiled at her and  
their eyes connected.  
"Thank you." She said softly.  
"I don't need to know about Donna's wedding mania, because I've been  
through it. Danny's goofiness doesn't really strike me as anything new so  
that leaves Toby's nervousness and KD's lateness." Jed exclaimed before  
looking at the door to see Leo try and slink in unnoticed. "There's the  
loverboy now." He added. Leo blushed almost angrily.  
"Sorry I'm late, sir. What did I miss?" He asked.  
"We would never start without you, Leo." Jed exclaimed. "We were  
gossiping... or so they tell me."  
"Wonderful." Leo retorted dryly.  
"I think it's time to look at Toby and KD over there." Josh pointed out.  
"Shut up, Josh." Toby exclaimed.  
"Spill the beans, Toby. You do look nervous." Jed said sternly. Toby  
glanced at KD and felt her snuggle into his side.  
"Well, we do have something to tell you guys." He started slowly.  
Everyone watched them carefully, unsure of what the hell was going on. KD  
smiled weakly and looked at Leo.  
"Is this about the doctor's appointment?" Leo asked softly. KD nodded.  
Toby avoided looking at anyone.  
"Well, the thing is... Toby and I are going to have a baby." KD said  
softly as she stared into Toby's neck.

TBC... .

  


	7. Blessed 7

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Well, the thing is... Toby and I are going to have a baby." KD said  
softly as she stared into Toby's neck. Silence filled the room as everyone  
glanced at each other.  
"Is this a good thing or a bad thing, you two?" Jed asked somewhat  
playfully.  
"We think it's a good thing." Toby replied.  
"We're just a little nervous about what you guys think." KD admitted. Jed  
laughed and walked to them.  
"This is amazing! Congratulations you two!" He cried.  
"Yeah!" Josh chorused. "Way to go!" KD grinned as Jed pulled her to her  
feet and hugged her tightly. Toby got up and looked at Leo who was just  
watching KD carefully. Jed shook Toby's hand while KD got a loving hug from  
Josh. Josh stepped away to pat Toby on the back and KD was left facing CJ. CJ  
just grinned and hugged KD tightly. KD hugged back, trying not to cry.  
"This is wonderful." CJ said to her softly. KD looked at CJ again and  
found a look in her eyes. She was never sure until now how much CJ knew about  
the past. Now, she could see the pain and joy in CJ's eyes and she knew that  
Danny had finally told the truth.  
"It's scary." She replied finally. CJ smiled and nodded.  
"We'll take good care of you. All of us." CJ assured her. KD smiled and  
turned to see Toby trying to push Sam away.  
"Would you get off me?" He exclaimed with a chuckle. Sam grinned. Toby  
looked around the room and settled his gaze on his wife. KD smiled at him but  
then her eyes drifted away to the one person who had yet to say anything.  
Everyone turned to look at Leo who had locked his gaze with KD's. Suddenly,  
he smiled and moved forward to hug KD tightly in his arms. Everyone watched  
silently as KD buried her face in his shoulder.  
"Congratulations." He whispered. KD leaned her face into his neck, trying  
not to cry as she nodded. It came to Toby's mind that not everybody knew what  
had happened to Katy so many years ago. He knew that Leo, Jed, Abbey and  
Danny knew. Who else? He looked at CJ and saw a tear in her eye. Their gazes  
connected and she nodded with a weak smile. She knew. No one else, that he  
was sure of.

Sam paced the floor in front of his desk. It had been an hour since he  
was supposed to meet Mallory for dinner. She was going to drop by his office  
and they were going to go to their favorite restaurant. But she was late, and  
he was starting to believe that she wasn't coming at all. He knew she was  
planning to talk to her father earlier that day but he'd never heard of  
anything that had come of that meeting. Part of him felt bad for interfering,  
but he was only doing what he thought was right.  
With a sigh, Sam sat down and grabbed his phone to dial her cell phone  
one more time before giving up and going home to cold pizza and a bottle of  
beer. The line rang... and rang... and rang... until her voice mail  
picked up for the fifth time that hour. Frustrated, Sam elected not to leave  
yet another message and hung up. With that, he moved for the coat rack and  
grabbed his jacket. Slipping his hand around the handle of his briefcase, he  
opened his door, turned off the light and locked the door. As he moved  
towards his car, he saw Mallory moving down the hallway.  
"Mal?" He asked.  
"Sam, I'm so sorry. I completely lost track of the time." Mallory  
exclaimed. Sam stared at her a moment.  
"Are you drunk?" He asked in shock. Mallory gaped at him.  
"Sam! I resemble that remark! Um, I meant-" She started to correct  
herself.  
"That's called a Freudian slip." Sam said angrily. "What the hell are you  
doing here drunk?"  
"I'm here because we have a dinner date." Mal replied pointedly. "Were  
you leaving?"  
"Yeah, because our dinner date was an hour ago and I have no wish to go  
anywhere with someone who's drunk. Come on, let's get you home." He exclaimed  
as he moved to take her arm. She yanked away from his touch and stumbled  
against the wall.  
"You're not the boss of me. If you're not going to take me to dinner,  
then I'll just be on my way." She slurred.  
"Mallory, what's going on with you? You haven't been the same lately. I  
know you talked to your dad. What happened?"  
"Nothing happened. He told me that he loves me, that Jeri and KD will  
never surpass me in his heart." She mumbled as she began to stumble a little.  
"Is the house spinning?"  
"No, you are. Come on." Sam exclaimed as he reached forward to take her  
arm. Mallory pulled away from him again and nearly fell over. "Mallory." He  
said sternly as he clutched her arm and headed for the elevator.  
"Sam, I'm perfectly fine." She tried to insist before tripping over her  
own feet. Sam sighed and knelt down next to her.  
"No, you're not." He said, trying to control his anger. "If you don't  
come with me right now and let me take you home, I'll call your father and  
let him deal with you. Mallory, this is not the right way to deal with your  
problems." He said as he helped her to her feet. She smiled and started to  
tickle his ear.  
"You wanna take me home, Sam?" She cooed seductively. Sam rolled his eyes  
and pulled her towards the elevator.  
"I'm gonna take you home and then I'm gonna go home." He said angrily.  
"Sam, you're such a wuss." Mallory whined. "I get drunk once in my life  
and you're acting like I set the White House on fire."  
"Then let me be a wuss." He snapped. "In the meantime, you've gotten  
drunk one too many times, in my opinion. You're a grown woman, a teacher,  
responsible for your own actions and for shaping the minds of this nation's  
future. You're the daughter of one of the most important men in America and  
you don't have anything to get drunk over."  
"So says you." Mallory retorted before passing out. Sam sighed and picked  
her up in his arms, carrying her the rest of the way.

TBC...

  


	8. Blessed 8

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"I'm just saying that you have to take into account the fact that  
economic growth is unpredictable." KD exclaimed sharply. On the other end of  
the phone line, Irwin Jacobs started to repeat everything he'd just said to  
her, as if he couldn't comprehend the fact that she was denouncing his  
information. She sighed and interrupted him again. "Irwin, go have a few  
bottles of beer and go home to your wife. I don't care what time of day it  
is, but if you're not going to listen to me, I'd rather you waste your time  
doing something else. That's all you're doing, Irwin. Wasting time." She  
finished before hanging up and glancing at her agenda. She sat down in the  
chair and looked around. She was tired, she was bored and she was scared.  
"Doc?" David said softly as he leaned in the door.  
"Yeah, David?" She asked quietly.  
"Are you okay?" He asked.  
"I think so. I'm just tired of arguing with people who don't listen. What  
do I have next? Tell me I have something to do that doesn't involve a phone?"  
She pleaded. It was ten in the morning and she was already tired. She just  
wanted to lie down. Two days had gone by since her fateful doctor's  
appointment and she just wanted to go home and crawl into bed. She didn't  
mind the thought of doing so and dragging Toby with her, but with the  
pregnancy, there were a great deal of months ahead where she wouldn't be able  
to work, and she had to get ahead while she still could. She hated the fact  
that they were going into an election year and she wouldn't be able to do the  
work she was supposed to do, but she knew that when it came down to it, she  
would work at home and still pull at least some portion of her own weight.  
"Uh, you have a meeting with Toby, Leo and a guy named Derek Salinger."  
David announced. KD nodded and got to her feet.  
"Yeah, the EPA guy. Nice that he gets such a big audience." She murmured  
as she moved out of her office. David trailed her.  
"After that, you've got a meeting with the Crows, lunch with Toby, a  
meeting with the NSC, and then you get to go to the Prez's department head  
meeting and finally there's a staff meeting at four thirty. That's it." He  
exclaimed as they crossed the hallway.  
"Great. My day looks to be ultra stressful." She muttered. "The only  
things on that list I look forward to are lunch with Toby and the department  
head meeting because those are at least interesting... usually."  
"Hopefully it will be today and you can end the day with a flourish."  
David said with a smirk.  
"David, don't get cute. Go back to your desk and do the crossword for  
me." She exclaimed. "Looks like I won't get to today." She added as she  
turned into Leo's office. David chuckled and turned back. He turned down  
another hall and moved for the communications bullpen.  
"KD already there?" Toby asked as they passed each other.  
"Yep." David called back and then moved up to Ginger's desk. "Hey,  
beautiful." He said as he planted a kiss on her lips. She smiled and stood up  
to hug him.  
"Hi you. What are you doing over here in this neck of the woods?" She  
asked softly.  
"I'm visiting the woman I love." He whispered back.  
"Ginger?" Sam's voice interrupted. She sighed and looked at him.  
"Yeah?" She asked.  
"Where's Toby?"  
"At the EPA briefing."  
"Okay. This is a workplace, not the backseat of a car." Sam added before  
disappearing into his office and slamming the door. David frowned and looked  
at Ginger who was glaring angrily at Sam's door.  
"I can't believe he said that." She muttered.  
"What's wrong with him?" David asked.  
"I don't know. He's been bitter for the past few days. It's not like him  
and I don't like it." Ginger replied softly.  
"It's a little worrying." David admitted. She nodded. "But I should get  
back to work. I'll see you after and we can grab some din?" He asked. She  
smiled and nodded before accepting another kiss. He smiled a somewhat  
dazzling smile and then moved off down the hallway. Ginger sighed and sat  
back down at her desk to return to work. As David left, Mallory slowly moved  
into the bullpen and knocked on Sam's door.  
"What?" He called. She winced and moved inside. Sam looked at her and  
couldn't gauge how to react. "Come on in. Close the door." He said softly.  
She nodded as she did so and then found a seat on his couch.  
"Sam, I want to apologize for what happened day before yesterday." She  
said softly. He waited. "I've never gotten drunk before in my life and you  
were right, there was no excuse."  
"Took you two days." Sam pointed out. "Mal, look. I'm just confused. Why  
did you do it? I mean, you and your dad talked. Didn't you sort things out?  
What could have prompted you to do that?"  
"Sam, I came here to apologize, not to explain to you the strange things  
that are going on inside my twisted little mind." Mallory said softly. "I  
just need to know that you're not still mad at me."  
"I'm not." Sam said finally. "But I would like to help you."  
"Sam, I appreciate it, but I really need to do this on my own, to figure  
out what it is exactly that I need. I made a mistake two nights ago, and I  
won't make it again." She assured him softly.  
"Okay. Well, I'm there for you if you need anything." He said with a  
smile. Mallory hesitated, causing the smile to dissipate.  
"Sam, there's one more thing I need to talk to you about." She said  
softly.

"Jeri, give me one more minute. I have to make a quick phone call." Leo  
exclaimed as he grabbed the receiver. Jeri nodded and went back to scribbling  
some notes in her journal. Leo dialed the number for Irwin Jacobs's office.  
He got a busy signal and hung up, exasperated. "I hate politicians." He  
muttered and moved to sit next to Jeri on the couch.  
"Well, then you picked a bad profession to go into." She replied. He  
smiled and peered over her shoulder. She grinned and hid the book away. "No  
peeking. The professional stuff you can read, but not this." She added before  
leaning into him and receiving a kiss from him.  
"If you insist." Leo assured her as he held her close. He breathed in her  
presence and sighed contentedly. His life had been so hectic, so frenzied,  
ever since Jed Bartlet had agreed to run for President. He'd watched his  
daughter grow up in just a few short years. He'd seen people he loved go  
through such horrible stresses. Right now, he felt content, and it was the  
first time in a long time. Jeri closed the book and tickled his chin.  
"What are you thinking about?" She asked softly.  
"How lucky I am." He admitted. "I've got a wonderful girlfriend, an  
unbelievable job, a truly great best friend and beautiful daughters." He said  
softly. "Isn't this what life is all about? How was it that I got to be so  
lucky?" He asked quietly before kissing her neck.  
"I don't know. I could tell you the truth but then I'd have to kill you."  
She whispered. He grinned and kissed her gently. Suddenly the door opened and  
Sam moved in. Leo got to his feet in shock as Jeri just stared at the  
seemingly stressed young man.  
"What are you doing, Sam?" Leo asked sharply.  
"Tell me you talked to Mallory." Sam exclaimed.  
"Yes, I did. She said everything was okay and then asked me to give her  
some space to figure out what to do with her life." Leo explained. "What are  
you doing, just barging in her like this?"  
"That's all she said?" Sam asked, avoiding the question.  
"Yeah. What's going on?" Leo snapped.  
"Your daughter just broke up with me and informed me that she's moving to  
New Hampshire." Sam retorted.

TBC... .

  


	9. Blessed 9

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See Part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Hello? Is there anyone in here?" KD called as she leaned against the  
open doorframe. Toby looked at her and smiled as she walked over to the pile  
of books that he was sorting through. "What are you up to?" She asked.  
"I'm looking through these things to try and find a book that my father  
gave to me once. He said I would need it one day, hopefully some day far in  
the future, but still that I would need it." Toby replied.  
"What's the book?" She asked.  
"It's a book of names." He said with a grin. She smiled and slipped her  
arms around him. He returned the favor and gazed into her eyes. "I never  
thought I could be this happy. I've spent my life in this dark cave of  
cynicism and seclusion, and now I find that I'm a married man, soon to be a  
father, and I'm happy. I'm happy, Katy." He whispered.  
"Who'd have thought, Toby Ziegler, happy?" She whispered back. He smiled  
and held her close. "You make me happy too, Toby. My life I've been wandering  
from place to place, trying to find out what my life was for. I came here  
thinking that the search would never end. Then I felt you kiss me, and I  
heard your voice, felt your presence, and I know that I had found where I  
belonged. Thank you for that, Toby." She whispered as she buried her face in  
his shoulder. He smiled and hugged her tighter.  
"We're going to do this, Katy, and not only are we going to do it, but  
we're going to do it so well." He whispered. "I honestly believe that you and  
I could be the best parents. The past doesn't matter any more. From now on,  
with you and me, the only thing that matters is the future."  
"Doesn't the past repeat itself?" She whispered.  
"No, it doesn't." He assured her and looked into her eyes. "Listen to me.  
For more than thirty years, you did this wandering. You're not going to do it  
any more and you know what? Life is good now, for both of us. What we bring  
to each other, what we get from each other, that's what will make this so  
beautiful, Katy. This child," He paused as he moved his hand under her shirt  
to rest gently on her stomach. "Is going to live to be a wonderful person,  
because of me and because of you. Because of you, Katy." He whispered. She  
smiled at him with tears in her eyes and then pulled him into a gentle kiss.  
The kiss grew stronger as his hand slipped around to her back and pulled her  
close against his body. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned  
against him. As he began to press her back against the wall, the phone rang.  
"Let it ring." KD murmured softly before kissing him again. He nodded and  
moved his fingers to remove her shirt. The phone rang four more times before  
their answering machine picked up.  
"KD? KD, it's me, Mal. Listen, um, I kind of need your help. I mean...  
If you're home, please pick up. I really need you." Mallory's voice came  
through the line in a shaky cry. KD pulled away from Toby and reluctantly  
grabbed the phone, only because she heard the pain in her friend's voice.  
"Mal? It's me. What's wrong?" She asked as Toby stood behind her, a  
worried look on his face as he slipped his hands around her waist and waited  
to hear more.  
"KD, I need your help. I mean... I can't call dad or Sam. I can't call  
them." Mallory said quickly.  
"Mal, slow down, take a breath." KD encouraged.  
"I need you to come pick me up." Mallory said softly.  
"Okay. Where?" KD asked.  
"1782 Delaware." Mallory exclaimed hesitantly.  
"Isn't that the police... station?" KD paused. Toby's eyes widened.  
"KD, please. Just come and get me out of here." Mallory pleaded.  
"I'm on my way, but you owe me a lot of answers, Mal." KD exclaimed.  
"I know. I'll tell you, don't worry." Mal said with a sigh of relief.  
"Okay. I'll be there in about twenty minutes." KD said and hung up.  
"She was arrested?" Toby asked.  
"I don't know. I guess so." KD murmured as she buttoned her shirt back  
up. Toby frowned playfully.  
"Shame to watch you do that." He said softly as he leaned forward to kiss  
her neck. KD laughed.  
"I have to go pick Mal up, then as soon as I'm done with her, I'll come  
back here and we'll see if we can't pick up where we left off." She whispered  
before kissing him gently. He grinned and nodded.  
"I'm sure we can." He replied softly before kissing her again. She  
laughed and moved for the door. Toby just smiled and tried to find where  
she'd thrown his tie. Eventually, he gave up and starting looking for the  
book again.

"All right, out you go." The police officer exclaimed as he opened the  
door for Mallory. KD finished signing one last paper and then turning to her  
friend and raising an eyebrow. Mallory looked a little rumpled and her eyes  
were red.  
"Drunk driving and disorderly conduct, Mal?" KD asked as they stepped out  
into the cool air. Mallory sighed and strapped her jacket close around her  
body. "I don't need to say that's not like you. They're not giving your car  
back for a while. You have a court date, you know that?"  
"Yeah, they told me all of that, Katy." Mallory said softly as they  
walked to the jeep. "And you're right, I'm sorry. It was a mistake. I just  
got so frustrated that I couldn't really resist getting one drink, just to  
tide me over. But the one drink turned into several more. It won't happen  
again. I swear." She whispered as she climbed into the passenger seat and  
fastened her seatbelt. KD turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot.  
"You're gonna have to call dad and Sam-" KD started.  
"Sam and I broke up." Mallory interrupted. KD paused and stopped at a red  
light.  
"Why?" She asked softly.  
"Because." Mal retorted harshly. "And he isn't your dad, he's mine." She  
added quietly. KD nearly dropped her jaw.  
"Mal, I didn't mean-" KD started.  
"All this time, you call him dad, and he's not your father." Mal said  
again. "He's mine."  
"I know he's your father, Mal, but-" KD tried again.  
"No. No buts. It's about biology, Katy. Your father is dead. My father is  
alive and he's my father." Mal interrupted again. KD bit her lip and pulled  
the car over to the side of the street.  
"Where is this coming from, Mal? Are you angry at me for the relationship  
that I have with Leo? I mean, you've never said anything like this before,  
and to be perfectly honest, I'm more than a little offended by this." She  
said softly. "I know Leo's not my father and I goddamn very well know that my  
father is dead. So you tell me. Where is this coming from?" She asked, her  
voice soft and as hard as stone. Mallory paused.  
"I'm sorry, Katy. You're right. I shouldn't have said that." She said  
softly. "I just feel so lost these days. I look at Leo and all I see is the  
man who loves me and I realize that all I see is KD's father. I look at him  
and I see your father, not mine. He told me that I'm wrong; he told me that  
I'm his daughter and he loves me, but I can't find a way to believe him." She  
admitted as tears threatened to fall down her face. "And I'm messing  
everything up, Katy. I have to get out of here. I have to find my own life  
and I can't do that if I'm so close to dad and I really can't do that if I'm  
with Sam." She added. KD listened silently, still a little hurt and suddenly  
realizing how much she'd impeded on Leo and Mallory's relationship. For  
twenty-five years, she'd monopolized Leo's attention and love because she was  
so thirsty for a parent, and now she could see that Mallory was left behind.  
Had she really caused Mal so much pain?  
"I'm sorry. I never thought about how I interacted with him affected you  
and I honestly should have." She said softly.  
"No, I'm sorry. Katy, in all respects that matter, he is our father. I  
never should have said otherwise. We grew up as sisters, and we are sisters  
in the way that counts." Mal replied insistently. KD nodded and hugged her.  
"You bet." She whispered.  
"Take me home, please." Mal whispered back. KD nodded and pulled the car  
back into traffic, her mind racing. She was trying to think of all the things  
that had happened in the past that could have been warning signs for this  
night. She couldn't find any. Mallory never drank much, but now she was being  
arrested for DUI and disorderly conduct. What did that mean? How could this  
happen? Now Mallory was running away. No. Mallory couldn't be allowed to run  
away. She looked at Mal and saw her staring out the window.  
"You can't run away from it all, Mal. I've spent the last fifteen years  
of my life trying to find some answer, something worth it all, and this is  
where I found it. You've already got it, Mal. You can't just walk away from  
it. Leo loves you. Sam loves you. I love you. Your kids, in your class." She  
said softly. "I can't stand in your way, but I have to tell you, I don't  
think it's the best thing you could do at this point in time. Getting drunk  
isn't either."  
"I really don't need a lecture, Katy. I just want to go home." Mallory  
said softly. KD hesitated and then nodded, pulling up in front of Mallory's  
apartment building. Mallory got out before another word could be spoken. She  
climbed the stairs, not noticing as KD lingered a moment before roaring off.  
Mallory slipped the key into the door and walked into the hallway. So many  
thoughts were racing through her mind too. As she climbed the stairs towards  
her floor, she took a deep breath and tried to figure out how things had  
gotten to be the way they were. She stepped up and turned a corner to see her  
father standing in front of her door, waiting impatiently for her to come  
home.

TBC...


	10. Blessed 10

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1, the song is "Honestly OK" by Dido and is not mine  
(yes, there finally is a song)  
NOTES: See Part 1, as part of a deal I made, I'm posting two parts in one  
day, so enjoy. :) Comments are always appreciated, btw. ::grins::  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Mallory asked as she stepped forward and  
put her key in the door.  
"Waiting for you. We need to talk." He replied, trying to contain himself.  
"We already did. I told you what I wanted, and you agreed." She said  
softly. Leo paused and then shook his head.  
"I agreed to let you make your own decisions about what you wanted to  
with your life, but I didn't agree to hearing from Sam that you'd gotten  
drunk or to hear that you were just going to pack up and leave for New  
Hampshire." He corrected her. "Why are you doing this, Mal? Sam loves you and  
I know you love him too." He exclaimed as he followed her into the apartment  
and closed the door. "You love your job and the kids. What could make you  
just decide to give it all up and move somewhere else?"  
"I'm a grown adult, Dad. I can make these decisions, and I should be able  
to without everyone getting on my case. I made the decision and there's  
nothing really to say about it." She replied as she put her jacket away. Leo  
paused as he saw the bottle on her table.  
"Mal, what's this?" He asked as he picked up the half-empty bottle of  
Jack Daniels. Mallory snatched it from him and screwed on the cap.  
"It's none of your business, Dad. Don't you have a girlfriend to get back  
to? Or maybe back to the office?" She said harshly as she moved to put the  
bottle back into the kitchen.  
"Mal, this isn't like you. Six years ago, you were there to help me  
conquer this sort of thing and now it's conquering you." Leo said as he moved  
into the kitchen. "Talk to me. You don't have to do this."  
"It's not about what I have to do. It's about what I need to do. What I  
want to do. I need to find my own life. I need to find one away from you and  
mom and Sam." Mal exclaimed suddenly, her eyes wide and brimming with tears.  
She didn't want to deal with this right now. Leo sighed and moved forward to  
take her into a hug, but she pulled away.  
"Mal, don't pull away from us. We're trying to help you before you go  
find yourself in a down spiral you can't get out of. Trust me, I've been  
there." Leo said softly but sternly.  
"This is different." Mallory insisted. "I know that you love me and I  
know drinking is not the answer. But I also know that I can't stay here. I  
have to find my own world and I can't do that here."  
"Mal, please don't do this."  
"I'll still call you, dad. We will keep in touch and all that, but I  
can't do this. Maybe I'll come back. I don't know. I'm just so confused right  
now, so frustrated, that for me to stay here would be to ask for a nervous  
breakdown. I have to get away from all this, Dad. Why can't anyone just  
understand that?" Mallory snapped. "I'm a grown adult, I can make my own  
decisions and this is the decision I've made. Accept it." She added sharply.  
Leo stood in silence as her words sank in. He realized just how much the  
words hurt him, and he suddenly knew why Sam had been so angry earlier that  
afternoon. She'd said the same things to him.  
"Accept it?" He repeated softly. "Mal -" He started.  
"Dad, accept it." Mal repeated. "Now please leave." She pleaded. Leo  
stood there in silence again, aghast by her request.  
"You're scaring me, Mal. Have things really changed this much?" He asked  
softly. "Are you really this affected?"  
"Don't flatter yourself, dad. It's not just about you." Mallory said  
softly.  
"If you ever need me, for anything..." Leo trailed off.  
"I will call you." She whispered. Leo nodded, still in shock.  
"Okay. I guess there's nothing else I can do." He admitted. "If this is  
what you want, if this is your final decision, I think the only thing I can  
do is be happy for you while at the same time being in silent protest."  
"Thank you, dad. That's all I ask." She whispered. Leo nodded and kissed  
her on her cheek. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his  
footsteps walk away. She heard the door open and close again and then finally  
allowed herself to let out a long-held breath. She moved out into her living  
room and turned on the stereo, eager for something to disrupt her thoughts.

I just want to feel safe in my own skin  
I just want to be happy again  
I just want to feel deep in my own world

Mallory collapsed on the couch and closed her eyes. So many things were  
going wrong and she knew it was all her fault. She'd hurt Sam, hurt KD and  
now she'd hurt her father. She kept insisting that the decision she'd made  
was the one she wanted, but she knew deep inside she wasn't the least bit  
sure. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't even know if she wanted to  
go back to New Hampshire. She just knew that it was all falling apart. And  
she knew it was her fault. With that thought, she went back into the kitchen  
and pulled back out the bottle of Jack Daniels.

But I'm so lonely I don't even want  
To be with myself anymore

Moving back into the living room, Mal sat on the couch and listened to  
the words streaming out of the speakers. She took a swig out of the bottle  
and closed her eyes. She'd told Sam that she wasn't happy with him. She'd  
told KD that she was wrong to call Leo 'dad' and made the stupid mistake of  
mentioning KD's true father to her. Now she'd basically told her father to  
butt out of her life. What was the cause of all of it? She wasn't even sure.  
She'd been dealing with her parents' on-again-off-again relationship for more  
than a year and a half, and she was to terms with it. Wasn't she?

On a different day  
If I was safe in my own skin  
Then I wouldn't feel so lost  
And so frightened

The liquid burned her throat a little as she swished it down, her eyes  
still tightly closed. The burning was almost refreshing, a reminder that she  
was still alive. She knew it wasn't the right thing to be doing. She knew  
that drinking wasn't going to solver her problems. Her stint in the jail  
tonight was just burning proof of that. But every moment she breathed, she  
felt like she was losing herself and everyone around her. A voice inside her  
head told her that she was pushing everyone away. She silenced the voice with  
another sip.

But this is today and  
I'm lost in my own skin  
And I'm so lonely I don't even want  
To be with myself anymore

And there was Sam. She knew she had put him through so much. At the  
beginning of their relationship, she pushed him around and baited him,  
confusing him with each step. But as time went on, she could feel him  
changing her, teaching her things she'd never thought about before. She felt  
like a better person with him, mainly because he treated her like one. He  
taught her that it was not always the best thing to treat people with  
hostility and domineering every time she met someone new. He taught her that  
she didn't have to prove herself to anyone, and that she could just take it  
slow and be human.  
And KD. How could she just say such horrible things to the woman she  
respected as an older sister? KD never liked to hear about her father and the  
many things that had gone wrong with his life. She loved her father and his  
memory, but Mal knew that KD struggled every single day with trying to move  
on. She'd found a way by looking at Leo and calling him 'dad' but now Mallory  
had interfered with that. Would things ever be the same for any of them  
again? Of they would. Sam would move on. Leo would have KD and Jeri. KD would  
be able to still see Leo as a father and she had Toby to hold her close.  
Hell, KD had a child on the way to keep her happy. What did Mal have?  
A bottle.

I just want to feel safe in my own skin  
I just want to be happy again

As her clock struck seven o'clock, Mallory climbed to her feet and walked  
for the bedroom, tired by the whole long day. Her mind was still racing,  
searching for a solution. She didn't know if she could find one, but she knew  
she had to. The way things were going, Mal could only see one conclusion and  
it was on the path that she did not want to take.

TBC... .


	11. Blessed 11

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

Jeri opened the door and looked upon the dejected face of her boyfriend.  
She pulled him in and closed the door before hugging him tightly. He hugged  
her back, trying to gather his thoughts.  
"She wants to leave." He whispered. "She wouldn't listen to me."  
"Oh, Leo. She's just confused." Jeri said softly as she held him close.  
"She loves you, but she's confused. She needs help and she knows it, but she  
doesn't know how to accept it."  
"She's usually the one giving it." Leo admitted. "But why can't she see  
it? I mean, we're trying to be there for her. I told her all the things that  
she needed to hear and she agreed. There's growing up and then there's what  
she's doing." He said softly.  
"Leo, I know you care about her, and you love her. She knows this too,  
but she is an adult. She knows that too. Maybe what she needs is the space to  
make her own mistakes. Sometimes you have to let your kids trip, Leo, so that  
you can be there to catch them. Give her a little more time, time to realize  
just how much she's throwing away."  
"I don't know if I can do that. I work in one of the most powerful  
offices in the country and I don't know if I can handle watching my daughter  
throw her life away. It makes me feel powerless."  
"I think in this case, you can't control the situation. She controls it,  
and she will let you in eventually, but she needs this time, this space,  
now." Jeri said softly, hoping she wouldn't anger him with her version of the  
truth. Leo sighed and sat down on her couch. Jeri sat down next to him and  
watched him carefully. He looked at her and saw the apprehension in her eyes.  
"What's wrong?" He asked softly.  
"This is all my fault." Jeri whispered. Leo shook his head and pulled her  
into his arms, grateful that she at least didn't pull away. She buried her  
face in his chest and listened to his heartbeat.  
"This isn't your fault. I don't know that it's anybody's. We've been  
going out for two weeks, Jeri. I don't know that Mallory is used to the idea  
yet, but she will be." He whispered. "In the meantime, I'm happy with you.  
You're happy with me. Everyone I know is happy for us. I want it to keep  
going that way, because I enjoy being with you."  
"And I you, Leo." She whispered.  
"I do have one question though." He said softly.  
"What's that?"  
"When were you going to tell me that Joey Lucas is your little sister?"  
He asked with a grin. She laughed and shrugged.  
"See, I had this big party planned for it. You were going to walk in the  
door and switch on the lights, and I'd yell 'Surprise! I'm Joey Lucas's big  
sister!' but now you've spoiled all that." She replied playfully.  
"Aw, damn. What would the party have been like?" Leo asked as he laughed,  
grateful to forget the day's stress.  
"It would have been very fun." She replied with a twinkle in her eye. He  
grinned and kissed her softly.  
"Like what fun?" He whispered. She smiled and took a gentle hold of his  
collar, pulling him into a gentle yet more passionate kiss.  
"Like very fun." She replied mysteriously before he kissed her again.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Toby asked as he saw the door open. His smile  
disappeared when he saw the dejected look on his wife's face. He moved over  
to her and looked into her eyes. He frowned when he saw the pain in them.  
"What happened?" He whispered.  
"She was arrested for a DUI. She was drunk, Toby. She threatened the cop  
who arrested her. They're taking her to court and..." KD just trailed off  
and buried her face into his shoulder. "She yelled at me for calling Leo  
'dad' and she starting crying, talking about she had to get out of here. I  
felt so bad, so lost. She's like a little sister to me. I just don't  
understand." Toby closed his eyes and held her close against his body.  
"Sounds like she's going through a lot." He whispered.  
"I know. I wish I had known before." KD replied softly as she hugged his  
neck. "Mal doesn't drink, Toby, or at least, she didn't. She was still  
reeling a bit when I picked her up. It worries me." Toby looked her in the  
eye and stroked her cheek with his thumb.  
"Listen to me. Mallory is a grown woman. The only thing you can do right  
now, at this moment, is let her be and let her make her own decisions.  
Tomorrow, you can talk to Leo and maybe together, maybe Sam and the President  
or all of us, we can get her to listen to reason. Right now, you need to  
relax and feel free. You can't do anything at this second." He said softly as  
he held her face in his hands. "So why don't we get some orange juice or milk  
or something and sit on the couch and argue about baby names, okay?" He said  
playfully. She smiled and kissed him gently.  
"Where would I be without you, Toby?" She whispered.  
"My guess would be Toronto. You seem to like it there." He replied softly  
as he held her close.  
"My father used to take me there." KD whispered. "There was a special  
park there that he used to take me too, and he told me that whenever I needed  
to think or I needed him, he would be there, waiting on the bench to listen  
to him. I might not be able to see him, but I'd feel him." She explained,  
still clutching Toby close. Toby listened silently. KD was still never that  
forthcoming about her past. He knew that there were still plenty of things  
that she had yet to tell him, but he was always there for her when she needed  
to confess.  
"I never knew that." He said softly. "It makes a lot more sense now why  
you loved it there so much." He whispered as he looked into her eyes. She  
smiled at him and kissed him lovingly. He kissed her back and slowly pulled  
her closer as the kiss deepened and they found their way back to the place  
where they had left off.

Sam lingered in front of the window of his apartment, many different  
thoughts running through his head. He'd been trying for so long to get  
through to Mallory and just when he was finally starting to feel the  
relationship was stable, she had to go and do this. Why? He moved to his  
computer and sat down. The cursor blinked at him, taunting him to just try  
and finish a sentence. It wouldn't let him and he knew it.  
With a sigh he got to his feet again and started to pace. He stopped and  
looked at the small box that sat on his bookshelf. He moved over and opened  
it, gazing at how the light flashed off of the diamond. Why had he waited so  
long? Because she'd asked him to, that's why. Sam felt like such an idiot as  
he collapsed into the couch, still staring at the ring.  
Was it all his fault? She was practically screaming about how stressed  
she was, but he'd never seen anything like this from her. She'd never been  
one to give up and certainly not one to run away. He knew that much from all  
the arguments they'd had together. Perhaps he should have always known that  
she'd break his heart. This was his own stupid mistake.  
He got up again and walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and  
looked around, the ring still in its box in his hand as he stared into the  
fridge. He saw the bottles of beer that he'd gotten at the store, purely out  
of habit. He put the ring down on the counter and then pulled the beers out  
of the fridge. He put them on the counter and opened one. He took a sip and  
looked at the bottle. Then he turned around and poured the liquid out into  
the sink. He repeated the process with every last beer, sending every last  
drop down the drain.  
After he was done, he moved to the bedroom and went to bed, leaving the  
ring on the counter, glistening in the dim kitchen light.

TBC...


	12. Blessed 12

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

"Hey." KD whispered, bringing Toby's gaze back on to her. He smiled at  
her nervously and squeezed her hand. "Where's my big, strong, supportable  
Toby? Don't tell me he's scared of a little ultrasound, is he?" She whispered  
before kissing him gently.  
"As long as you're not." Toby said matter-of-factly. She smiled as he  
kissed her again.  
"Toby, you're the one who's been telling me for a week now that  
everything's going to be okay." She whispered. "You're my rock, Toby, and  
everything is going to be okay."  
"I know." He whispered back. "Are you okay?" He asked after a pause. It  
had been six days since KD come home from picking up Mal from the police  
station and she'd seemed somewhat distant ever since. She was still the same,  
bright Katy, but there was a look in her eyes that he knew wasn't normal. She  
was hurt, hurt by Mal, and there was only one person who could fix it, and it  
wasn't him.  
"I don't know." She finally admitted. "No one's heard from Mallory in  
about a week. She's shutting herself off from the world and everyone's so  
afraid of how she'll react that no one will go talk to her."  
"Mallory is a grown adult." Toby tried to assure her.  
"But I can still be worried. She's digging her own grave, Toby." KD  
retorted. He smiled weakly and hugged her tightly. She buried her face into  
his shoulder and just clutched him close.  
"Listen to me." He whispered. "Right now, I just want you to think about  
you, me, and this child. Mallory will come to her senses, and if someone has  
to talk to her again, someone will. But not now, not this minute. It's just  
you, me and him." He whispered as he slipped his hand on to her stomach  
again. She smiled and nuzzled his neck.  
"How can you be so sure it's a him?" She teased.  
"I just know." Toby replied softly before kissing her tenderly.  
"Mrs. Ziegler?" A female voice called out. They looked up and then  
followed the nurse into a room.

"Whoever it is, go away!" Mallory slurred as she heard the knocking at  
her door. The knocking came again. She rolled her bloodshot eyes and moved to  
the door. With a snarl she flung it open and stared in shock at the person in  
front of her. "What the hell are you doing here?" She snapped. Jeri paused  
and then made her own way into the apartment. "Who the hell said you could  
come in?" Mallory asked harshly.  
"No one did." Jeri exclaimed as she picked up an empty bottle of the  
ground and carried it to the kitchen. Mallory huffed a little and then  
stumbled to the couch. Jeri tossed the bottle into the recycling and then  
moved to gather a few of the others that were lying around. She washed them  
out and then put them in the bin. With a sigh, she moved out into the living  
room and looked at the daughter of the man she loved.  
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Mallory asked. Jeri sat  
down in one of the armchairs.  
"I'm here to try and open your eyes. No one else has had much success, so  
I figured you hate me enough, you might listen to me." She admitted.  
"Mallory, you're throwing away a lot here, and I feel like you're wasting it  
on me. You're wasting it on me, on this booze, on your parents. You've broken  
the hearts of the two men who love you the most and you know what? It hurts  
me to see Leo the way he is. I know KD is broken-hearted too. What you're  
doing here, Mallory, is hurting those around you, not just yourself. The way  
things are going, you are going to kill yourself, but don't you see how wrong  
that is? How selfish?" Jeri asked emphatically.  
"It's none of your business what I decide to do with my life." Mallory  
retorted. Jeri sighed.  
"Oh, but you see, it is. You may not know how to handle it, but I'm going  
out with your father, and I may very well be falling in love with him. Now,  
what's going on?" She asked softly. "You're not losing anybody, but you're  
pushing them away. Do you really think you're going to get anywhere by doing  
that? By getting drunk?"  
"I didn't realize you were my mother confessor." Mallory snapped softly.  
"You have to listen to someone, don't you? Mallory, the person I know,  
the person who's hiding within you somewhere, is getting trapped behind a  
wall of anger and alcoholism. That person is smart, funny and wonderful, and  
I like her very much. I would like to get to know her better and I would hope  
that she and I could be friends. But you have to make the decision. Your  
father is going out of his mind in depression and Sam hasn't talked to anyone  
with kind words since the day you left him."  
"Why are you doing this?" Mallory asked. "I don't know you. We mean  
nothing to each other."  
"Well, maybe I mean nothing to you, but you certainly mean something to  
me. You're the daughter of the man that I love, and the daughter of a man  
whose heart is breaking. If you won't let them help you, if you won't talk to  
them, then please, just talk to me and let it all out. Let out all the anger  
and pain and hatred that you're holding on to. Cry, yell, do what you want.  
Let me try and be there for you as a friend, which is what I think you need."  
Jeri said softly. Mallory looked at the woman who was staring at her so  
intensely. Searching Jeri's eyes, she saw the concern and the worry there.  
"Why are you doing this?" Mallory asked, her tone much softer, much more  
little girlish this time.  
"Because I want to." Jeri said softly. "Will you let me?" She asked.  
Silence filled the room. Mallory stood up and carried her bottle to the  
kitchen where she began to pour the remaining liquid down the drain.  
"You want some coffee?" She called weakly. Jeri smiled and walked to the  
kitchen.  
"Coffee sounds great."

TBC... .


	13. Blessed 13

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1  
NOTES: See part 1  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

Sam sat down at his desk and looked around. It looked like it was going  
to be a long day and he did not know what to think about it. He could see  
that he had a few meetings, a Don't Ask Don't Tell follow-up in which he and  
KD were going to tell the military goons off, once and for all, before the  
President came out with his gay rights agenda. He couldn't really think  
straight.  
It had been more than a week since he'd seen Mallory. More than a week  
since he'd seen her face, and the eyes he remembered seeing that day were red  
and she had been exhibiting the signs of someone with a hangover. KD had  
mentioned the arrest to him, and he found that he didn't really care. Mallory  
had hurt him so badly, that he'd turned himself off and he didn't want to  
think anymore.  
"Hey, brother." KD murmured as she moved into the room, reading a file as  
she collapsed on to his couch. "You ready to face the firing squad? Those  
goons are going to be pissed at..." She stopped talking and looked at him.  
"Sam, are you okay?"  
"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Sam retorted.  
"Sam, I know it's hard, but I also know that things are going -" She  
started.  
"They're not going to be okay, Katy." Sam interrupted. "Mal crossed the  
line. I mean, it's bad enough that she broke up with me. I think that was  
painful enough on its own, but it's not just about that. It's about the fact  
that she was perfectly willing to ruin my life and Leo's, not to mention her  
own. If she wants to believe that the f**king bottle is more important to her  
than I am, then let her. She can go her own way and I'll sleep fine tonight."  
He said in a soft, cold tone of voice. KD studied him for a moment.  
"That's your choice, I guess." She said softly.  
"Yes, it is." He replied. "Now, shall we go to our meeting?"  
"It's not for another twenty minutes. I came by because I thought we  
should review first." KD explained, her tone still soft. Sam opened his mouth  
to respond when Kathy leaned in the door.  
"What is it?" He asked sharply.  
"This was just delivered for you, Sam." His assistant exclaimed as she  
handed Sam an envelope. He opened it and read the card inside.  
'Sam ~ Come to Michael's on 18th street and Connecticut tonight at seven.  
Please. It's important.' The note read in elegant cursive. Sam looked at KD  
was waiting patiently to hear what it said.  
"It's just an invitation." He said softly.  
"From whom?" KD asked.  
"Mallory." He said without hesitation.

"I'm telling you, Graham, that it's not going to happen. We're taking  
this fight to the mattresses, and we'd like your support. To be quite frank,  
we're expecting it." Leo snapped into the phone. "Yes, I said we're expecting  
it. No. Yes, I understand. Good. Thank you. Goodbye." Leo finished happily  
and then slammed the phone down. He collapsed into his chair and sighed, his  
eyes closed. When he opened them again, his office doors were closed and  
Mallory was standing in front of his desk.  
"Tell me I'm not dreaming. Mal?" He asked weakly.  
"Dad, I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I came here today to tell you that  
I'm not going to New Hampshire and that I'm so sorry." She murmured, tears in  
her eyes. Leo practically leapt out of his seat as he moved to hug her  
tightly in his arms. "It's going to be hard, but I'm going to try, Dad. I'm  
so sorry."  
"It's okay." He assured her quietly. "I love you so much, Mal. Thank God.  
I'm going be here for you, okay? I'm going to be here for you through this  
whole thing, where you need me. You just tell me what you need, and I'll be  
there." He said softly, silently thanking the stars above.  
"I need to hug you, dad. I need to know that all is not lost." Mallory  
whispered. Leo hugged her tighter.  
"Never. It's never lost." He whispered. She hugged him tighter and  
nodded. "I'm so glad you're here."  
"Well, I talked to someone who really helped me just let it all out and  
she helped me see what I was doing not only to myself, but to everyone around  
me. I'm so sorry, dad. I love you and I never should have done all the things  
I've been doing recently." Mallory said as she gazed into her father's eyes.  
He smiled and wiped away a tear that had fallen down her face.  
"It's okay." He assured her. "I'm telling you, it's okay, because here  
you are. You're back, and I can see in you the woman I used to know."  
"I'm going to get help, dad. Just like you did." She assured him. "But I  
need to know that you'll be there for me, just being patient while I try to  
deal with this. I'm not going to try and do this alone, but I do need to have  
some independence while I try and take this one step at a time."  
"I know. I've been there, and you're right. You don't have to keep us at  
arm's length, but wherever you need me, that's where I'll be." He replied  
softly with a warm smile. She smiled back.  
"Thank you." She whispered. "I love you so much."  
"I love you too." He whispered back.

"David! What are you doing?" KD called.  
"I'm sleeping!" David called back.  
"That's what I thought." She muttered as she tried to rummage through the  
jungle of papers on her desk. "Pay him to sleep." She added before a pile of  
papers fell to the ground with a thud. "Pay him to sleep while a pregnant  
woman works her ass off." She muttered as she knelt down to pick up the  
papers. When she stood up, Mallory was standing in front of her desk. KD  
paused quietly and then put the papers on her desk. "Hey."  
"Hi." Mallory said softly.  
"You need something?" KD asked as she stared down at her desk.  
"A chance to apologize." Mallory admitted. "I've screwed things up, Katy,  
but I'm trying desperately to put them back together. Please let me. I'm  
getting help, like I need it, and I just needed to tell you that I'm sorry  
and that you're the best big sister I've got." She said softly. KD looked at  
her with a sad smile and a strange twinkle in her eye.  
"Mal, I can't tell you that it's that easy." She said softly. "You hurt  
me, and you hurt a lot of other people. It's going to take a while for those  
wounds to heal, but I'll tell you what: in the time that it takes, I will be  
there for you." She added with a wider smirk. She was still hurt, still  
angry, but Mal was standing here, admitting to having a problem.  
"Okay." Mal said softly with a weak smile. KD walked around the desk and  
hugged her tightly.  
"You're doing the right thing. " KD whispered as she squeezed her little  
sister tighter. Mallory hugged back tightly and buried her face into KD's  
shoulder. KD smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Welcome back, Mal."  
"Not yet, Katy."  
"Close enough."  
"Did I just hear you say you were pregnant?"  
"Depends on how long you were standing there."

TBC... .


	14. Blessed 14

RATING: PG  
DISCLAIMER: See Part 1, "Thank You For Loving Me" is not mine, but the  
property of Bon Jovi, off the album "Crush" :) Truly a great, sweet song.  
Highly recommended.  
NOTES: See part 1, just reminding you that "Blessed" belongs to Elton John  
and not me. :) Comments are always welcome. In fact they're wonderful  
motivation.  
SUMMARY: KD and Toby deal with possibilities, Leo finds that he has to start  
taking steps to stay happy and keep the women he loves happy at the same time.

The party room of Michael's restaurant was closed for the evening. It had  
been rented by a young woman who looked like she had faced a lot in the past  
few days. Michael, the owner and manager of the restaurant, watched her as  
she stood in the back edge of the room looking nervous. He shook his head and  
moved to the main room. A young man with short brown hair and striking blue  
eyes was talking softly to the Maitre 'D.  
"Mr. Seaborn?" Michael asked as he walked up to the man and his employee.  
The man nodded and looked around. "Right this way. Your party is back here in  
the Venetian room." Sam nodded and followed the man into the room. Once  
there, Michael left Sam alone in the room. It wasn't a large room, more like  
a private eating hall. There was a table in the middle of the room, elegantly  
decorated with a white tablecloth and two lit candles. Sam moved towards the  
table as the flames flickered softly in the dim light cast by the chandelier.  
There was a soft noise to Sam's left, and when he looked, his eyes rested on  
Mallory's slender form which was encased in a form-fitting pearl white  
evening gown. His breath caught in his throat as she moved towards him, her  
hips swaying with each step and causing his heart to beat faster.  
"Mal..." He whispered.  
"Sam, I'm glad you came." She said softly as she stopped in front of him.  
"I thought maybe it was too late, that you wouldn't show."  
"Well, you said please." Sam said weakly. She smiled and nodded.  
"Sam, I know I made a very serious mistake, and I want you to know that I  
didn't come here expecting anything. I just wanted to tell you that I'm  
sorry, I'm getting help and that I love you very much." Mallory started  
slowly. "I've never loved anyone like I love you and it scared me, I admit  
it. It scared me into doing something so stupid, I still cry about it. Sam,  
I'm so sorry, and if things can't be the way they were, can we at least be  
friends?"  
"No." Sam said softly. Mal bit her lip, tears brimming. "We can't be  
friends, Mal, because I want so much more." He added softly as he slipped his  
hands around her cheeks. She smiled at him before he kissed her gently. Her  
arms slipped around him as the kiss deepened. Sam pulled her close in joy,  
kissing her passionately as he felt the presence of the woman he loved. She  
was back; Not all the way quite yet, but she was on her way. Mallory pulled  
away from him for a moment and moved to a small stereo that she'd set up in  
the side of the room. As the music began to play, she took him in her arms  
and they danced by the candlelight, eyes focused on each other as they  
thought of nothing else in the world.

> > > It's hard for me to say the things  
>  I want to say sometimes  
>  There's no one here but you and me  
>  And that broken old street light  
>  Lock the doors  
>  We'll leave the world outside

"Toby?" Katy's soft voice called. The frustrated speech writer looked up  
and blinked. She was leaning against his doorway in slim blue jeans and a  
white t-shirt, her black leather jacket covering part of the figure he'd come  
to know and love so well.  
"Were you wearing that when we left the house this morning?" He asked.  
"No, I changed just now." She informed him. "It's a quarter after seven.  
What are we doing still here?" She asked playfully as she moved in and closed  
the door behind her. He shrugged and looked at his computer, noticing as she  
moved across the room. When he looked up again, she'd reached him and was in  
the process of swinging his chair towards her. He smiled as she made herself  
comfortable in his lap and began tickling his ear.  
"Are you trying to tell me something?" He asked softly before accepting a  
gentle kiss. She smiled and nodded before kissing him again. He slipped his  
arms around her and deepened the kiss, holding her close. As his hands  
explored her body, she slipped her arms around his neck. Finally, they pulled  
apart for air, but not for long as he began to gently kiss her neck.  
"We have to go home." She whispered.  
"Do we?" He asked playfully. She laughed and kissed him again.  
"I love you, Mr. Ziegler." She murmured.  
"And I love you, Mrs. Ziegler." He replied before they kissed again.

> > > All I've got to give to you  
>  Are these five words when I  
>  Thank you for loving me  
>  For being my eyes  
>  When I couldn't see  
>  For parting my lips  
>  When I couldn't breathe  
>  Thank you for loving me  
>  Thank you for loving me

"Leo, what are you doing?" Jeri called as she moved into her boyfriend's  
living room. Leo muttered something and put a book back in its place on the  
shelf. He began searching the shelves again and stopped only when he felt  
Jeri's arms slip around his neck.  
"I'm sorry." He murmured as he kissed her wrist and started looking  
again. He smiled a little wider as he felt her lips gently brush against his  
neck.  
"What are you looking for?" She asked softly. He smiled as he pulled out  
the book and turned to take her in his arms.  
"This is a journal I kept when I went to Tucson." He replied as he showed  
her the brown leather-bound book. "I was going out of my head, staying off of  
all the things I'd grown addicted to, and I wrote down my rants in this  
thing. What happened with Mal just made me think of fishing it out."  
"That sounds interesting." Jeri murmured and kissed his neck again. "You  
going to show it to Mal?"  
"I was thinking about it." He admitted. There was a silent pause as they  
kissed gently. "You know, I talked to her and she said that someone came to  
talk to her and helped her see the light. I couldn't figure out who it was.  
KD and Sam had already talked to her."  
"Really? They didn't have any luck?" She asked innocently.  
"No, but you did." Leo said softly. She looked at him. "Thank you, Jeri.  
I'm not sure how you did it. I didn't think she would listen to anyone-"  
"Least of all me." She whispered.  
"To be honest, yeah." He admitted.  
"I know." She said. "But I saw how miserable you were, how hurt Sam and  
KD were, and how wasteful Mal was being, and I couldn't let that happen. I  
couldn't let four lives disappear like that. I'm only glad I could help."  
"I am too." Leo whispered gratefully before gathering her in his arms and  
kissing her deeply. She kissed back, holding him close. Together they rocked  
in the sway of lovers.

> > > I never knew I had a dream  
>  Until that dream was you  
>  When I look into your eyes  
>  The sky's a different blue  
>  Cross my heart I wear no disguise  
>  If I tried, you'd make believe  
>  That you believed my lies

Jed moved into the bedroom and started to remove his tie. It had been a  
long day. He didn't notice his wife on the couch reading a book, nor did he  
notice when she looked up and watched him move wearily to the bed and start  
to take off his shoes. She just stood up and walked over to him with a smile  
on her face. He smiled at her, finally sensing her presence.  
"Hey, beautiful." He whispered.  
"Hi, handsome." She whispered back as she sat in his lap. He smiled and  
moved his hands down her sides before hugging her closely.  
"I love you." He whispered.  
"I love you too." She whispered back.  
"You know what?" He asked.  
"What?"  
"I think I need to have my temperature taken."  
"I think so too." She replied before kissing him and pushing him down on  
to the bed. He kissed back, thankful for a bit of recreation after a day of  
stresses. And he always knew he could count on Abbey to make him feel better,  
even if she didn't "take his temperature".

> > > Thank you for loving me  
>  For being my eyes  
>  When I couldn't see  
>  For parting my lips  
>  When I couldn't breathe  
>  Thank you for loving me

Donna moved into the dining room of the apartment she shared with Josh  
and found that he was snoozing on the couch. She smiled and sat down on the  
coffee table, watching him sleep. She reached out and ruffled his hair  
lightly. He smiled in his sleep.  
"Do you know how much I love you, Joshua Lyman?" She whispered. "So much  
has happened over the past year, and I've never thanked you for it. Thank  
you, Josh, for letting me see that it was okay to love you. I know that our  
wedding, God, our wedding... It's going to be beautiful, Josh. It's going  
to be perfect, just like you and me."  
"I know." Josh whispered and opened his eyes slightly.  
"You sneak." She giggled. He sat up and pulled her into his lap.  
"That's me." He replied before kissing her neck.  
"I love you, Josh."  
"I heard." He whispered. "And I love you, Donatella Moss." He added  
before kissing her deeply.

> > > You pick me up when I fall down  
>  You ring the bell before they count me out  
>  If I was drowning you would part the sea  
>  And risk your own life to rescue me

"You know, one of these days, I wonder if you're going to regret this."  
Danny admitted as he sat next to CJ on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. "I  
mean, you said no to me for so long."  
"Danny, shut up and watch the movie." CJ teased.  
"I'm serious, CJ. What made you change your mind?" He asked. She paused  
and looked at him.  
"To be honest, I looked at the people around me and saw two different  
things. I saw how happy they were with their lives and I saw how sad they  
were with the chances they'd passed up. Then I looked at you and I wondered,  
do I want to be somewhere in the future without you, regretting not saying  
yes, or do I want to be somewhere in the future with you, relishing the fact  
that I did? The answer is that I want to be with you, Danny, and I really  
don't care what anybody has to say about it." She added softly. He smiled and  
kissed her gently.  
"CJ?"  
"Yeah, Danny?"  
"Can we skip the movie?" He asked playfully before kissing her neck. CJ  
murmured and leaned against him.  
"No." She teased and pressed play.  
"Fair enough." Danny replied but didn't stop kissing.

> > > Lock the doors  
>  We'll leave the world outside  
>  All I've got to give to you  
>  Are these five words when I  
>  Thank you for loving me  
>  For being my eyes  
>  When I couldn't see  
>  You parted my lips  
>  When I couldn't breathe  
>  Thank you for loving me

Sam looked at the woman who slept against his chest and smiled in  
content. His arm clutched her closer as he tried to breathe regularly, but  
his fast heartbeat stopped that. He couldn't sleep, not with this woman in  
his arms, back where she belonged. Slowly, he slipped out of the bed and  
walked to his desk in the other room. Opening the drawer, he saw the box  
sitting nestled in a pile of receipts and other things that he'd put away  
until he could find a better time to deal with them.  
He gingerly picked the box up and carried it back to their room. He  
opened the box and placed it on the nightstand by Mallory's side, directly  
under the lamp. He made sure it looked okay and then went back to his place  
in the bed. As he moved in, Mallory move to cling to his side. He slipped his  
arms around her again and held her close to his body.  
"Welcome home, Mal." He whispered.  
"Thank you, Sam." She murmured in her sleep.

> > > When I couldn't fly  
>  Oh, you gave me wings  
>  You parted my lips  
>  When I couldn't breathe  
>  Thank you for loving me  
>    
> 

Toby held KD's hand as the doctor moved into the room. Toby watched as a  
scratchy image appeared on the screen, and then smiled at KD. This was their  
child. He kissed her gently and then looked at the doctor who was frowning  
slightly. KD looked worriedly at him and then at Toby.  
"Doctor?" Toby asked softly.  
"I'm not sure." The doctor murmured. "It might be too early to tell."  
"To tell what?" KD asked in fear. The doctor looked at her.  
"Well, it seems that you're now about six weeks in, roughly. But the  
picture here," He started, tracing an image. "Isn't concurrent with normal  
pictures we get. We're going to have to do another ultrasound in about two  
weeks. We'd need to see what this is."  
"If you could venture a guess?" Toby asked softly.  
"I really don't want to, this early in, but if I had to?" The doctor  
asked.  
"Yes?" KD asked weakly. The doctor paused and then ran his finger over a  
tiny curve in the grain.  
"This is your child." He said softly before moving his finger to another  
small curve in the grain. "From what I can tell, this is your child too. I'm  
not positive, it may be too early to tell, but I think you two might be the  
proud parents of twins."

> > > And you, you'll be blessed  
>  You'll have the best  
>  I promise you that  
>  I'll pick a star from the sky  
>  Pull your name from a hat  
>  I promise you that,  
>  promise you that, promise you that  
>  You'll be blessed  
>    
> 

The End... .


End file.
